Microsoft Surface tablet to arrive on October 26 along with the release of Windows 8

The release of Windows 8 on October 26 will come with a little bonus for those who have been waiting for accompanying hardware, according to the company’s SEC filing, the Surface tablet will go on sale the same day.

In its annual report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing, Microsoft states: “The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012. At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices.”

Typically ambitious, Microsoft hopes to sell “a few million Surface PCs” in the coming year”, but with the established hold over the market that Apple has, along with the recent arrival of Google’s Nexus 7 tablet, it might be a tougher battle to reach the proposed figures Mr Ballmer would like to see.

As attention increases on the Surface line, our own Alex Wilhelm rightly points out, “From a PR perspective, Microsoft needs to clear the air, and start talking numbers.” Speculation leading to the idea that Microsoft’s tablet will be too expensive could be a bad start to its launch.

For those still curious, regardless of price and thinking about saving for October 26, here’s the specs you need to know.